This invention relates to electrical connectors of the type used to connect conductors to the contact pins mounted in a hermetic heater of the type used in sealed compressors or other equipment. The invention is particularly directed to the achievement of a tamper proof connector which is adapted to enclose and receive a diode which is connected in series with one of the conductors.
Compressors of the type used for domestic refrigerators are commonly contained in a sealed vessel and the electrical connections required are made by means of hermetic headers which extend through the walls of the vessel. Heretofore, the circuits employed for such compressors required three conductors and the headers were thus provided with three contact pins. The external conductors were electrically connected to these three contact pins by means of specialized connectors of the type shown, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,777,302, 3,231,849, and 2,875,426. Conductors of the types shown in these patents were required to be relatively compact and to possess a high degree of reliability for the reason that they were required to give years of service without maintenance or other attention. Compactness was also required of such connectors by reason of the circumstances of their use.
More recently, refrigeration control circuits have been developed which require only two conductors but which also require a diode in series with one of the conductors. The diodes have leads extending therefrom and are relatively delicate in that if the diode leads are subject to abusive or even careless handling, the electrical function of the diode will be destroyed.
The instant invention is directed to the achievement of a connector comprising a housing which receives the two conductors of the circuit and which has provision for the accommodation of the diode in a manner such that the leads of the diode are protected against damage prior to installation of the connector on the header of the compressor. The invention is also directed to the achievement of a connector which is tamper proof in the sense that after the terminals and diode have been placed in the connector, they can not be removed therefrom without destruction of the connector housing. This feature ensures the assembly of an operative and undamaged connector to the header during the assembly process of the refrigerator.
It is accordingly an object of the invention to provide an improved connector for the contact pins of a hermetic header of the type used in compressor enclosures. A further object is to provide an improved connector having provision therein for the accommodation of a circuit component such as a diode. A further object is to provide an improved tamper proof connector which, after it has been installed on conductors, can not be damaged by careless or abusive handling. A further object is to provide an extremely compact connector for a hermetic header which can be used under circumstances where only a very limited amount of space is available.